CITY’S TRUCKS STUCK
ONLY 69 OF 133 TRUCKS STILL WORK
A Cebu City Hall department head recommends buying branded trucks and not those made in China But councilor says part of the problem was the limited maintenance budget the previous council approved
Only about half of the dump trucks the Cebu City Government bought five years ago are still working. That’s one reason the City lacks trucks to pick up trash as quickly as its residents would like.
Ronald Malacora, head of the City’s General Services Office, suggested that next time, instead of buying trucks made in China, the City should buy branded trucks “because we are assured of the quality and performance.” City Hall records show that of 133 trucks bought between 2012 and 2015, 69 still function, while 37 no longer do.
In the last six years, the Cebu City Government has purchased 133 dump trucks worth P179.6 million intended solely for the Department of Public Services.
General Services Office (GSO) Chief Ronald Malacora said some of the trucks are still running, some are no longer serviceable, while a few are under repair.
Records from the office showed that 69 are serviceable, 37 are unserviceable, 19 are under repair, four are for disposal and four have been disposed of.
In his State of the City Address last month, Mayor Tomas Osmeña said the City does not have enough trucks to pick up the city's garbage.
Only 18 of the 52 China-made trucks purchased in the previous administration are in running condition while the rest are either defective or beyond economic repair, he said.
But Malacora said only 42 of the trucks were purchased as 10 were donated trucks from Japan.
Records from the GSO showed that 18 trucks are used to collect garbage, 17 are under repair and 17 are not serviceable.
The trucks were purchased between 2012 and 2015, when Michael Rama was still mayor.
Malacora suggested that instead of buying trucks from China, the City should try other brands from other countries.
"It's good to buy branded trucks because we are assured of the quality and performance. We have other trucks here that have been already here several years ago that are still running," he said.
Based on their records, five of the 20 Hino trucks (from Japan) that were purchased in 1994 are still running, three are under repair and 12 are unserviceable.
Three of the six additional Hino trucks that were purchased in 2003 are still running, while two are under repair and one is unserviceable.
"Our drivers also prefer to drive these trucks due to reliability. Aside from it, we also have no issue when it comes to its maintenance because spare parts are readily available.
When sought for comment, Rama said that all purchases during his administration went through the proper procedure.
"There was a bidding that was conducted and those suppliers won the bidding," he said.
Councilor Eduardo Rama Jr., who was then in charge of barangay affairs, supported the statement.
"Many participated (in) the bidding and whoever placed the lowest bid won," he said.
Asked about the quality of the trucks, the councilor said they encountered a problem with the maintenance since the previous council, which was dominated by the opposition (Osmeña allies), gave them a small budget.
"We had a problem looking for spare parts, even tires. If you buy Japanese trucks with (a) limited budget, you can only purchase a few that's why we went for the lowest bidder," he said in Cebuano.